Under-20 and Ivor Burge State Team Staff Announced

BASKETBALL Victoria is pleased to announce the first set of Victorian State Team Staff – the Under-20 and Ivor Burge teams – for the 2019 Australian Junior Championships.

This year’s batch of coaches, staff members and players will seek to emulate and improve upon an exceptional 2018 at the Australian Junior Championships. In 2018 our sides picked up eight out of the nine national championships as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals.

We will announce the Victorian State Coaches for 2019 over the next three days:

Under-20 and Ivor Burge teams (Monday)

Under-18 and Kevin Coombs Cup teams (Tuesday)

Under-16 teams (Wednesday)

Basketball Victoria’s Basketball Operations Manager Grant Wallace said this year’s pool of applicants was the strongest yet, further cementing Victorian junior basketball’s status on the national stage.

“This year’s Victorian State Team Staff shows the strength of our sport throughout Victoria,” Wallace said. “Our coaches have NBL and WNBL head coaching experience as well as currently serving as Australian junior head coaches and assistant coaches.

“It makes for an incredible pool of coaches to pick from and we’d like to thank all the applicants.

“The level of high calibre coaches and staff members ensure the 2019 coaching and staff ranks remain at an elite level.”

There are four new head coaches joining the ranks in 2019 as we bid farewell and thank Katrina Hibbert, Gerard Hillier, Glen Jordan and Sam Thornton.

All four coaches have won national championships in their time with Basketball Victoria and have been incredibly successful head coaches within the Victorian High Performance program.

Hibbert and Jordan brought gold back from Gosford at the 2018 Australian Under-20 and Ivor Burge Championships, Thornton’s time as Victoria Metro’s Under-16 Women’s coach concluded with an exceptional three-peat in Kilsyth, Stirling and Maroochydore while Hillier’s 2017 Victoria Country Under-18 Women team brought home gold in Townsville – breaking an 18-year championship drought for our Country girls as well as bringing home bronze from this year’s championships.

“There are four new additions amongst the head coaching ranks and numerous other changes throughout the entirety of our program,” Wallace said. “In particular we’d like to thank Katrina Hibbert, Sam Thornton, Gerard Hillier and Glen Jordan for their time as head coaches within Victoria’s High Performance program.

“They have been brilliant members of our state team staff and ensured Victoria remained on top of the nation, both with their results at championships as well as setting professional standards for these sides in preparation for these events.”

We thank them for their contributions to Basketball Victoria and helping hone and develop the next generation of elite Victorian players.

BASKETBALL VICTORIA 2019 STATE TEAM STAFF

UNDER-20 AND IVOR BURGE – CANBERRA, FEBRUARY 2019

Heading to Canberra in February, the Victorian Under-20 and Ivor Burge staff include international-calibre coaches and an array of familiar and new faces to the ranks.

Dee Butler joins our head coaching staff in 2019 and brings a wealth of experience. Her resume as a player and a coach is impeccable and will drive our Under-20 Women to even greater heights. As current Australian Under-19 head coach, Butler knows where the international standard sits and will drive our Victorian players to reach those levels

The Under-20 Women’s coaching roster features four impressive female coaches with Butler joined by returning assistant coach Hannah Lowe and ex-WNBL player Kerryn Mitchell and former under-16 head coach Sam Thornton as a development coach and selector.

Ryan Holloway joins the Ivor Burge Men’s team for his first head coaching appointment within the Victorian High Performance basketball program. He brings to the program international experience as a current head coach of the Australian Dingoes U21 deaf basketball team, Australian Boomerangs assistant coach and a former Ivor Burge Metro Men’s assistant coach.

Chris Anstey returns as Victorian Under-20 Men’s head coach following a successful campaign in 2018 as will Simon Robinson as Victoria’s Ivor Burge Women’s head coach.

“International stars like Dee Butler and Chris Anstey applying for these roles highlight just how coveted a Victorian coaching position remains within Australian basketball,” Basketball Victoria’s Basketball Operations Manager Grant Wallace said. “Whether as players or coaches, both Butler and Anstey have excelled across the globe and will give our players the insights and tutelage necessary to impress at the championships and beyond as they look towards college, NBL, WNBL and other impressive elite achievements.